Friday's Meetings Sandown N/H 6 Races 12:40-3:35p.m. Newcastle(E) A/W 8 Races 3:10-6:45p.m. Dundalk(E) A/W 8 Races 5:00-8:30p.m. Exeter Abandoned Sedgefield Abandoned Racecards At The Races Sporting Life Racing Post Good Luck
Giovinco good pick, Pilgrim. Lucinda Russell team make the long journey to Sandown Park for this event. Only 4-runners but Stay Away Fay and The Changing Man are well up to winning this. A cracking Class-1, Grade-2, Novices' Handicap Chase, regardless of the tiny field. Good luck with Giovinco!
Thank you very much. I have a 20/1 e/w bet on BANC since July (still with that odds on Lads and Coral). Tomorrow's race is a litmus test, with his current odds (7/4) it's not worth betting on him, and I think it's very difficult for him to win, although I think he's a very good horse. Stay Away Fay won the Albert Bartlett this year and seems superior as his odds reflect. I'm happy if he's close and gives him something to think about, so Lucinda doesn't send him to a handicap. Her comments have always been that she sees him running the BANC in March. Let's hope the bubble doesn't burst tomorrow.
From WH News: Sandown, Friday "I’m really excited to be running Giovinco [at Sandown tomorrow]. He was impressive at Aintree last time when giving his rivals weight and this is obviously step up in Grade, but I think he can handle it. "We all know Stay Away Fay is a very good horse in his own right, but this is a horse we think is Cheltenham-bound and these are the sort of races we want to be running him in. "From the minute I bought him, I’ve always loved him. He exceeded my expectations over hurdles as we always knew chasing was going to be his game. "Physically he’s perfect and while he can be a bit ‘different’ mentally, I think he’s starting to contain it now. Stephen [Mulqueen] knows him so well and they are a great combination. "I have huge confidence and faith in him, and I can’t wait to run him."
In the first at Sandown Park today (12:40), a Juvenile Hurdle for 3-year-olds over 2m on soft/heavy ground, the Ulyssess gelding, Ithaca's Arrow, has a squeak in this tricky affair. Stayed 1-1/2 miles on the Flat. Ben French-Davis rides for the family yard of Domenic French-Davis. Rank outsider so just a modest go. 14/1 (Wm.Hill/Betfred) best price at time of writing, E/W best option at these odds.
It will be interesting to see if Stay Away Fay gets left behind when/if they quicken. The first time over fences I thought he got caught out a bit and whilst he obviously did very well to get back up, I think at Sandown it’ll be difficult to be chasing back any gap.
Is this the key phrase Pilgrim "and these are the sort of races we want to be running him in." Could that be as a prep race for Cheltenham or because they like winning them? Timeform's weight-adjusted ratings: 161p Stay Away Fay 160p The Changing Man 159p Giovinco ? Conkwell Legend
I think they believe they have a very, very good horse, as he has shown in the races he has run and won, but they want to check today to what extent their belief is true. If he wins today, or is very close to a winner at the Festival, he will certainly run in the BANC.
These bloody sponsorship deals. In the old days we could just call it the RSA and be done with it. BANC is a nice acronym but it sounds like a railway company
Until last year, I still put the old name in my bets for the Festival. This year I have opted to use the current name in case some people didn't notice it.
Wow, what a race selection ran, looked all over the winner but got nailed on the line by the hot favourite. Still, the e/w makes a modest profit at the 14/1 early price.
He didn't win, but he ran a very good race. I don't know if the result would have been different without the interference of the lost horse, but I think they will take him to the BANC. The markets have reacted by putting SAF as favourite and cutting Giovinco's odds.
The loose horse didn't help did it? Luckily no damage done. The first 2 ran crackers and Giovinco looked to be travelling all over Stay Away Fay between the last 2 but when they got racing the Nicholls horse just pulled out more. I think to be fair you have to mark up Stay Away Fay slightly as he was conceding 3lbs and did all the donkey work on the front end. He does look a thorough stayer though so could even go for the NH Chase at the festival - depending on how the Irish novices look come March.
Had SAF backed in a rollup but think Mulqueen should have pushed the button after the 2nd last, horse needed its mind made up and wandered about. That lost the race in my opinion, if Giovinco had gone after the 2nd last (like the majority of his last races), I don't think even if staying on, SAF would have had the time to pass before the post. Cheltenham in March a different story though.
